House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Peter Hoekstra is still pressing U.S. intelligence agencies to look for possible weapons of mass destruction in Iraq—even though intelligence officials say further work is unlikely to reveal anything new about Saddam’s WMD programs.

Isikoff and Hosenball at it again. Read if you like but the song remains the same; we’ve found bits and pieces, the Duelfer Report is sacrosanct, and attempts at due dilligence are just political maneuvers. Of course left out are questions like “why shouldn’t we be suspicious when items that should have been destroyed still around?” and “who judges any state of affairs by only looking at 10% of available data?” Anonymous insiders also make an appearance, poo-pooing any further work in this area. Probably the same ones that used to stiff-arm those of us who argued the captured media would reveal a lot more than interrogated prisoners and inspections would. We were right then, but don’t let success get in the way of cut-and-run.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.